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Kimberly Robson remembers the first time she laid eyes on Ansley Burns, the now-13-year-old semifinalist on “America’s Got Talent.”

Robson was a fourth-grade teacher at West End Elementary School in Pickens, and Ansley was a petite kindergartener.

“She’s always been lively, full of personality,” Robson said. “I remember when she was in kindergarten. I saw her walking in that day (and thinking), ‘I want to be her teacher one day.’ … She’s just always been happy and full of life. That’s who she is; it’s not a façade.”

Ansley’s bubbly personality has been evident each time she’s competed on “America’s Got Talent,” from her first appearance in June, when judge Simon Cowell stopped her mid-song and asked her to try again, this time a cappella.

It’s been quite a ride for the young girl, who began taking voice lessons at age 8. It was just last September when an impromptu video of Ansley riding in her mom’s car singing Carrie Underwood’s “Cry Pretty” caught the attention of Underwood herself.

Ansley’s mom Stephanie posted the video to her Facebook page, and Underwood tweeted out the video from her own account. The post garnered more than 2,700 likes and 300-plus retweets.

And Ansley ended up covering another Underwood song, “Good Girl,” on her July 30 AGT appearance. She earned praise from the judges, but ended up being eliminated that night. She was asked to return as a wild card contestant for the quarter-finals, and got a standing ovation for her performance of “Swingin’” on Aug. 13.

'A magnificent desire to sing'

Robert Hoefer remembers the desire and drive that Ansley demonstrated when she first came to him for voice lessons at 8 years old.

"She had a magnificent desire to sing," Hoefer said, comparing her determination to that of a Rottweiler sinking its teeth into something and not letting go.

"The more we put on her, the more she took on the challenges," Hoefer said.

That drive to succeed showed up "on the very first day," he said. "I think she was sitting on the floor outside the door waiting to come in. For a student, that's kind of rare, to be early, to be anxious, to be excited. Those types of students who have that burning desire, they're going to great. All they need is direction and time."

Hometown pride

Seeing Ansley succeed has been fulfilling for Hoefer.

Students and teachers at West End also are taking pride in Ansley’s progress on the NBC competition series, Robson said.

And friends and fans have been coming out to the Easley Skate Center to watch her AGT performances.

Ansley is now an eighth-grader at Gettys Middle School, but in elementary school, her teacher Robson had no idea that the tiny girl had such a big voice until one day of Ansley’s fourth-grade year.

“In fourth grade, she never said anything about being able to sing,” Robson recalled. “And then one day she said something about it, and I said, ‘Oh, I can sing too.’ … And then she sang, and I was like, ‘Oh, you can, like, really sing.’”

Even then, Robson said, it wasn’t until school variety show that she got a hint of the sheer power of Ansley’s vocal cords.

“She came out in this beautiful white tutu gown, and sang the ‘Titanic’ (theme) ‘My Heart Will Go On,’ in fourth grade, and it was absolutely beautiful. And I thought, ‘She’s the real deal.’”

Travis Smith, owner of Easley Skate Center, said he didn’t know Ansley or her family before “America’s Got Talent,” but he thought that the viewing parties would a good way to show the community’s support.

“We just wanted to help cheer her on,” Smith said.

The date of Ansley’s next AGT appearance hasn’t been announced yet, but she’s likely to return in early September to compete in the semifinals.

The viewing parties will continue at Easley Skate Center each week that Ansley competes on “America’s Got Talent.” Admission is free, and there’s no skating during the watch party. Viewers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to sit in and watch the show, Smith said.

Growing fan base

Over the past couple of months since viewers first saw her on AGT, Ansley’s fan base has grown. She has amassed more than 2,000 Twitter followers, and 17,000 followers on her Facebook page.

But while she's got lots of support, the first day of eighth grade was still a little intimidating, Ansley said last week.

“I walked into the cafeteria, and everybody just stared at me,” she said. “I wanted to curl up into a ball and run away.”

But even the notoriously prickly Cowell, whom many fans blamed for Ansley’s elimination, has acknowledged the impact of her performances.

On her quarter-finals appearance, after Ansley had been invited to compete as a wild card, Cowell said, “Ansley, you got the whole country to hate me, but then we got you back.”

At West End Elementary, students and teachers are excited and happy to see Ansley compete on AGT, Robson said.

“For our school, it’s very much a sense of pride coming from West End these days, because even though we’re not a part of it, we feel like she’s ours. … It’s giving everybody a sense of hope.”

From Hoefer's vantage point, the odds for success are in Ansley's favor, no matter what happens on AGT.

"She's just destined to be great," he said. "She's well-liked and likable, and just has the love for life."